The 2023 Labour Party vice-presidential candidate, Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed, has called for immediate investigation into explosive claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the Federal Government has been paying monthly stipends and supplying food to bandits in the North.

 

Baba-Ahmed made the call on Tuesday while appearing on Politics Today, a political affairs programme on Channels Television. He questioned the silence and what he described as a dismissive response from the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), led by Nuhu Ribadu.

 

“If the so-called office of the National Security Adviser would take this statement with levity, then Nuhu Ribadu was never a policeman; he is not a qualified lawyer; he should not be in that office,” Baba-Ahmed said during the interview.

 

He insisted that El-Rufai should be facing legal scrutiny for his remarks. “He should be writing statements to the police and to the courts,” he said, adding that such allegations, if true, represent a grave national security breach and if false, amount to reckless misinformation.

 

El-Rufai had sparked controversy last week when he alleged that both the Federal and Kaduna State Governments were engaged in a “kiss-the-bandits” policy—allegedly providing monthly allowances and food supplies to armed groups as part of what officials termed non-kinetic engagement strategies.

 

The Office of the NSA had issued a brief rebuttal, describing the claim as “unfounded,” but has not confirmed whether an investigation will be launched.

 

Baba-Ahmed, a former senator and outspoken critic of the current administration, said the matter must not be swept under the rug.

 

“This is not something you issue a press statement over and move on. This is a matter of national security and public trust,” he said.

 

The controversy has fueled growing public concern over the government’s counterinsurgency strategy, especially in Northern Nigeria, where kidnapping and banditry remain rampant despite billions spent on security interventions.